Race 4 Performance MVP: Michael Machado
Meet Michael Machado, winner of the Men’s A race at Miller park (after a shoe change in the pits!) and our Race 4 Performance MVP. We’re highlighting Michael not only because of his dedication to racing cyclocross at a high level, but because of his continuous positive attitude and contagious smile that truly shows his love for cyclocross. Performance Bicycle is proud to help us highlight Michael with a $100 gift card!
How long have you been racing cyclocross and how did you get into it?
According to cross-results, I’ve been racing since 2015, wow, almost at my 10-year anniversary! I started cross after one final fling with running. I told myself if I break 15 in the 5k I’ll never run again, but I guess I could never let running go; cross seemed like that middle ground but really was just a gateway drug to more cycling disciplines.
What is your “day job” and how do you balance the training needed to compete at a high level and all your other responsibilities?
I’m a mechanical engineer with Lyft Urban Solutions, we operate many of the bike share programs you may have heard of such as Citi Bike in NYC and Bay Wheels in SF. But we also offer bike, station and software solutions for sale to cities such as Aspen, Honolulu and even Monaco.
I usually fit my interval days early in the morning before work and then just use my commute to work as my recover days. This year has more work travel, which means begrudgingly breaking out the running shoes again.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome in your cycling career?
Personally, the biggest challenge has been not getting too addicted! I definitely spend too much time, training for cross, thinking about cross, tinkering on cross bikes. I have a spreadsheet of every tire pressure I’ve run, in every cross race since 2016, including notes on gearing, surface condition, weather, tire/rim/insert choice. I wonder what normal people think of us?
Tell us about your race bike! What is it and how have you personalized it?
I have Specialized Crux with black logos over black paint, I love that it looks like an AliExpress special. The Praxis crank, ring and BB is the one personal touch, a great alternative to the big two. But to juxtapose that, everything else is Shimano.
What are your goals for this season?
#1 goal this season is to win the Sacramento series overall.